Whether you plan on making a big turkey for thanksgiving this year or a smaller turkey breast, taking the extra step to brine your turkey is pretty essential. This easy Turkey Breast Brine recipe will give you super flavorful and tender turkey breast meat every time! I’ll be honest, sometimes I’m tempted to skip this step especially when I’m running short on time. But the difference it makes is huge! The brine infuses the turkey with so much moisture and flavor. It’s seriously a game-changer for Thanksgiving, special holiday occasions, or if you simply enjoy cooking turkey breast meat to meal-prep throughout the week.
What Is A Brine?
A brine in most cases is simply a solution of salt, sugar, and water. Meat is then submerged in the salt water solution for several hours to help add moisture, flavor, and tenderize the meat. This process is called brining. Oftentimes brines are seasoned with additional herbs and spices to add even more flavor to the meat. Since turkey breast meat can sometimes be dry, I highly recommend taking the extra step to brine it first.
Ingredients For Turkey Brine
Here’s everything you need to make an easy, flavorful, turkey breast brine:
- Water, Kosher Salt & Sugar: These are the 3 main ingredients for the brine. It infuses the turkey with flavor and tenderizes the meat. You can use either white or brown sugar. I don’t recommend substituting table salt for kosher salt since table salt is considerably more salty.
- Herbs, Spices & Citrus: We used a combination of rosemary, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, and lemon to add even more flavor to the brine.
- Turkey Breast: I am using a bone-in turkey breast for this brine, but you can use either bone-in or boneless turkey breast. I tested this brine with both and it delivered great flavor each time.
How Long Should I Brine A Turkey Breast?
The time it takes to brine a turkey breast will vary slightly depending on the size of the turkey. A good rule of thumb is to brine the turkey for roughly one hour per pound. I purchased a 5 ½ lb. bone-in turkey breast and brined it for 6 hours. That turned out to be the perfect amount of time for that size of turkey breast. A smaller, boneless turkey breast would need an even shorter amount of time in a brine solution.
Should You Rinse The Turkey After Brining?
Yes, you should definitely rinse and dry the turkey breast after it is done brining. This removes any excess salt from the turkey and prevents it from being too salty.
Boneless vs. Bone-In Turkey Breast
I’m happy to report that this turkey brine works for both bone-in and boneless turkey breasts. I tested it with both and was happy with the results. However, there are a couple differences to note:
- Shorter brine time: Boneless turkey breasts are often smaller in size compared to bone-in turkey breast, which results in a shorter brine time. If you were to brine a small 3lb. boneless turkey breast for 6 hours, the turkey meat will be too salty and start to break down in texture. A small 3lb. boneless turkey breast will only need to brine for 3 hours.
- Presentation: After purchasing 2 different brands of boneless turkey breasts, I noticed the skin on boneless turkey breasts was very loose, barely hanging on, and sometimes half missing. Once cooked the final presentation was not as appealing as the bone-in turkey breasts. If this is not a huge concern for you then no worries. It will still have tons of flavor from the brine! ;)
Tips For Brining A Turkey Breast
- You will need a very large pot, a large container, or a turkey brining bag to brine your turkey breast. I prefer to use a large stainless steel pot that is big enough to hold the turkey breast and the brining solution. The turkey will also need to be fully submerged in the brine.
- Make sure your brine has completely cooled down before you add the turkey breast. You can speed up the cooling process with ice cubes, more cold water, or by simply patiently waiting.
- Don’t let the turkey breast sit in the brine too long. Trust me I’ve made this mistake before and the turkey just ends up being too salty. The texture of the turkey meat also breaks down too much and ends up being mushy. So always keep an eye on the time when brining your turkey.
Turkey Breast Brine
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 gallon cold water (16 cups), divided ($0.00)
- 1/2 cup kosher salt ($0.28)
- 1/2 cup white sugar ($0.36)
- 3 bay leaves ($0.45)
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs ($1.00)
- 6 cloves of garlic, smashed ($0.48)
- 1 Tbsp whole peppercorns ($0.30)
- 1 lemon ($0.79)
- 5-6 lb. bone-in turkey breast
Instructions
- Start by placing 8 cups of cold water in a container and place it in the freezer. You will use it later. Then in a large stock pot add the kosher salt, white sugar, and remaining 8 cups of water. Heat the pot over medium heat and stir to dissolve.
- Once the salt and sugar have completely dissolved add the bay leaves, rosemary, smashed garlic cloves, and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Boil for 3 minutes then remove the pot from the heat.
- Add the juice from the lemon and the entire squeezed lemon to the pot. Now allow the brine to cool down to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
- Once the brine has cooled down to room temperature add the remaining 8 cups of water from the freezer. Stir and allow the brine to completely cool down. About another 5-10 minutes.
- Now carefully add the turkey breast inside the pot with the brine. If your pot is not big enough to hold the turkey breast and the brine, then add it to a turkey size oven bag and pour the cooled brine over the turkey breast. Make sure the turkey breast is completely submerged in the brine, then cover the pot or seal up the bag.
- Place the pot in the refrigerator for 6 hours.*
- After the turkey has brined, remove the turkey breast from the brine and rinse it well under cold water. Then pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
- Now you’re ready to cook the most flavorful turkey breast that you’ve ever tasted. Let’s go!
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Notes
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make A Turkey Breast Brine – Step by Step Photos
Start by gathering your ingredients. For this turkey breast brine I am using 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup white sugar, 3 bay leaves, 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, 6 smashed garlic cloves (if some of them break in half like mine did that is fine), 1 Tbsp whole peppercorns, and 1 lemon.
Place 8 cups of cold water in a container and place it in the freezer. You will use it later. Then in a large stock pot add the kosher salt, white sugar, and remaining 8 cups of water. Heat the pot over medium heat and stir to dissolve.
Once the salt and sugar have completely dissolved add the bay leaves, rosemary, smashed garlic cloves, and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Boil for 3 minutes then remove the pot from the heat.
Add the juice from the lemon and the entire squeezed lemon to the pot. Now allow the brine to cool down to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Once the brine has cooled down to room temperature add the remaining 8 cups of water from the freezer. Stir and allow the brine to completely cool down. About another 5-10 minutes.
Now carefully add the turkey breast inside the pot with the brine. If your pot is not big enough to hold the turkey breast and the brine, then add it to a turkey size brining bag and pour the cooled brine over the turkey breast. Make sure the turkey breast is completely submerged in the brine, then cover the pot or seal up the bag. Place the pot in the refrigerator for 6 hours. *(total brine time will depend on the size of your turkey breast)
After the turkey has brined, remove the turkey breast from the brine and rinse it well under cold water. Then pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
Now you’re ready to cook the most flavorful turkey breast that you’ve ever tasted.
OOHHH thanks for this! I have trouble finding a good breast recipe and definitely want to try your herbed butter roasted version!
I am wondering about timing.
Could I make the brining solution the day before & then submerge the turkey day of for the 6ish hours? I worry everything may take too long coming to temp morning of…. and timing is important on holidays.
Or could I brine it the day before & then leave it uncovered in the fridge after rinsing to help dry it enough? I have seen that process for making crispy chicken wings.
Last question- does the turkey need to come to room temp after drying for the butter to stick?
Sorry for all the questions but I don’t want to ruin yet another turkey!
Thank you for such good recipes!
You can absolutely make the brine ahead of time! That’s a great way to save time. Your other suggestion is also fine though as well to encourage the turkey to dry out in the fridge! You could even do a all of those things together to make the process less stressful. I don’t think the turkey necessarily needs to come to room temp for the butter to stick, I’ve done it both ways over the years and never really have a problem. :) Good luck!